Background: The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a model designed to improve the quality of care, improve health outcomes and achieve efficiencies by providing coordinated, comprehensive primary care (PC) services supported by information systems and accountability processes. A team that includes the patient and is guided by a clinician coordinates preventive and health care needs of the patient, including STD prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The PCMH serves as the base from which other services are managed and coordinated in order to provide the most effective and efficient care. Multiple PCMH demonstration projects have shown decreases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and cost-savings of 15-20% from traditional models. These findings have resulted in new Recovery Act funding to support demonstration PCMH projects in community health centers. While these demonstration projects focus primarily on the coordination of care, many opportunities exist to address public health and prevention services in the PCMH model, including prevention, diagnoses, and treatment of STDs. The development of strategies to fully integrate STD prevention and control into PCMH requires collaboration between public health, STD programs and primary care providers.

Purpose: To examine how public health professionals and PC providers can work together to facilitate the integration of preventive services into the PCMH model using STD prevention and control as an example. Methods (instructional approach): Presenters will provide an overview of the PCMH, will share examples of successful collaborations between public health and PC in implementing PCMH and will lead an interactive discussion of key components of a PCMH, the role of patient and clinicians, and approaches to monitor quality and efficiencies. The group will also examine strategies and opportunities to integrate STD prevention and control into the PCMH and will examine how PCMH is addressed in current health reform legislation, and its implications for STD control programs.